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The San Francisco 49ers have a big primetime date with the Carolina Panthers on Monday night. It’s not usual to watch the Panthers on national television, and that’s a testament to how big a turnaround Dave Canales has led for the team.
Unfortunately, he’s about to face a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, and one who has strong ties to the organization. With that in mind, NFL analyst Michael Florio believes that Christian McCaffrey is going to have a career day against his former team:
“Christian McCaffrey scores a rushing, catching AND passing TD in first game against former team,” Florio wrote. “It’s never a surprise when CMC runs for a touchdown — or when he catches a pass in the end zone. Is it a shock when he throws one? Not really. Half of his career pass attempts have gone for a touchdown. What about accomplishing all three tasks in one game? Well, that should raise an eyebrow, considering it’s only been done by five players since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, including McCaffrey himself, against the Rams in 2022, in his second game since being traded from the Panthers to the 49ers. On Monday, he’ll face the team that drafted him for the first time in his career — and he goes all out, becoming the first player to repeat the feat.”
McCaffrey is the type of unstoppable offensive force who never ceases to amaze. As crazy as that prediction may sound, McCaffrey is the type of player who could pull it off, and it wouldn’t even be shocking to anybody. As long as he’s healthy, anything is possible.
The Panthers’ running game has been quite solid this season. Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle have been efficient between the tackles and explosive.
Even so, they’re no Christian McCaffrey. The Niners star returned from an injury-riddled season, and it’s like he never left. He seems to be immune to Father Time.
There should be no hard feelings between McCaffrey and the Panthers. If anything, they did right by him by trading him to a Super Bowl contender and helping him fulfill his true potential as the Offensive Player of the Year. Still, this will be an emotional game for McCaffrey, and that should be a scary thought for the Panthers’ defense.
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